Stand Here With Me
by Lyonene
Summary: It had always been the four of them. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ivy. Throughout the years they've had their ups and downs but what's supposed to be their final year at Hogwarts turns out to be a harsh lesson in reality. Year 6 Part 1 is up!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N & Disclaimer:** I had posted an HP fic several years ago (Young Forever, which can no longer be found online) but took it down because of several inconsistencies and gaping plot holes. This is my second attempt at an HP fic and yes, I've inserted an OC. Somewhat canon compliant up until Deathly Hallows, and I've used bits and pieces from both the books and movies (have yet to see Deathly Hallows so...). Eventual pairings, which will likely consist of Ron/Luna, Draco/Hermione, Harry/OC. Possible rating change later in the fic. I don't own anything but Ivy and the parts that are obviously not from the Harry Potter books or movies.

**Prologue**

It had always been the four of them. Mostly. Their first year had gotten off to a rocky start though by the end of term, they had become fast, firm friends.

Hermione Granger. Ronald Weasley. Ivy Rennes. Harry Potter.

Harry and Ron had gotten off splendidly right from the off, bonding on the Hogwarts Express over unwanted corned beef sandwiches and chocolate frogs. Hermione had been quite bossy and a know-it-all who too often nosed into affairs that did not pertain to her.

The boys had disliked her intensely, and she was disdainful of them. That had all changed Halloween night of their first year when Harry and Ron accidentally locked her in the girl's bathroom, along with a troll. They had rescued her afterwards and the twosome turned into a trio.

Ivy Rennes was a Pure-Blood whose family had money and the common ideals of the majority of other Pure-Bloods. Muggleborns weren't worth spit. To Ivy's horror, she had been placed in Gryffindor, cut off from her childhood –indeed best- friend who had gone into Slytherin.

At first she had been stuck-up. Unlike Hermione, it wasn't a 'know-it-all' type of snobbery, but an 'I'm better than the lot of you' attitude. She resented being in Gryffindor and hadn't bothered hiding it, ensuring that her first year started off poorly. An ugly encounter with Slytherins had resulted in Ivy and Hermione forming a tentative friendship that had eventually brought her into the group.

The four of them balanced each other out. Naturally, Hermione and Ivy had a separate friendship as Ron and Harry did, there was an unspoken understanding that some things were 'boys only' and others simply for the 'girls'.

Harry was the natural leader, though he never thought of himself that way. He just instinctively took over situations when others hesitated. He was somewhat impulsive, and tended to think with his heart when he should have used his head. Hermione was the counter to that impulsive tendency, using her intellect to think things through rationally -usually, and often was the voice of reason in the group. She and Ron did, however, exasperate each other quite a bit.

Ron was unknowingly cruel sometimes, though at others his obliviousness to the obvious around him proved to be a blessing and a source of amusement. He had been cast in the role of the overshadowed best friend, but most of the time he took it with good grace. Ivy had her own offbeat sense of humor and was usually the binding agent that held them together through tiffs.

They were each an essential pillar that made their little group strong.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I've gone through each year of school and inserted Ivy into familiar scenes in order to introduce her as well as present her personality and interactions with other charcaters. Some scenes have been altered a bit, and I've added a few of my own scenes as well.

**Hogwarts, Year One 1991-1992**

"So it is true then, what everyone on the train is saying."

Harry Potter and his new friend Ron Weasley looked up from the Chocolate Frog cards they had been swapping when the door to their train compartment slid open. In stepped a pale boy with sleek, pale blond hair, and a pointed chin. He was flanked by two very large, solid boys and trailing behind them was a girl with black hair and a mean look about her.

The blond boy glanced carelessly at his companions. "This is Crabbe, and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron snorted.

Harry hadn't missed that the girl hadn't been introduced, but she didn't look overly upset about it either.

"Think my name's funny do you?" Malfoy sneered, rounding on Ron with a look of contempt on his pinched face. "I don't need to know your name to know who you are. Red hair, freckles… You're a _Weasley_."

Ron wasn't smirking anymore.

The girl tossed her hair with a roll of her eyes. "Come on Draco," Her tone was high-pitched and haughty. "we've better things to do than be seen… _here_."

**~!~**

"Rennes, Ivanna." Professor McGonagall called.

Ivy pushed her way forward, casting a glance towards the Slytherin table where Draco was seated. When he flashed a quick smile, she returned it confidently. Trying not to hesitate under McGonagall's piercing stare, she settled herself on the stool and waited, ignoring the knots in her stomach.

The Sorting Hat considered her for a brief second before shouting: "GRYFFINDOR!"

If not for an ingrained sense of her person and those around her, Ivy would have probably begun bawling. Instead, she clamped her lips together tightly in an effort to silence the denials that were threatening to escape and risked a look towards the Slytherin table.

Draco wouldn't even look at her.

**~!~**

"Maybe if Longbottom had given this a squeeze, the fat lump wouldn't have fallen on his fat arse." Draco laughed, tossing Neville Longbottom's Remembrall up into the air before catching it, doing it again. Around him, his classmates began laughing while the Gryffindor's all tensed up.

Ivy stood apart from both groups. She wasn't really a Gryffindor even though that's where the Sorting Hat had placed her; she felt she was merely another Hogwarts ghost. She wasn't surprised in the least when Draco mounted his broom and took off, nor was she surprised when Potter followed.

"What an idiot…" Hermione Granger huffed from a few feet away.

Ivy agreed with that sentiment.

**~!~**

"Going back to Mummy and Daddy for the Holidays, Granger? Maybe for Christmas you should ask for a new face!"

Hermione ducked her head as she boarded the Hogwarts Express. Her cheeks were red as she tried to ignore the harassment.

"Maybe you should just stay at home, Know-It-All!"

"Oh shut up, Parkinson."

Hermione stopped in her tracks, blocking the aisle as she looked into an empty compartment. Empty save for Ivy Rennes who was sitting on a seat with her back to the wall and her legs stretched out before her.

Ivy was surveying Pansy Parkinson with the same disdainful look Pansy had been giving Hermione.

"You stay out of this, Rennes."

Getting to her feet, Ivy approached the other girls. "If you like Gra- Hermione, you can sit with me." She offered, ignoring the expression on Pansy's face.

Hermione smiled.

**~!~**

"Honestly, don't you three read?"

Harry, Ron, and Ivy shook their heads, staring at Hermione blankly. Neville had given Harry a Dumbledore card from his Chocolate Frog and Harry had remembered why the name 'Nicholas Flamel' seemed so familiar. Then Hermione had made an 'eeping' noise and retrieved a book.

With a small scowl on her face, Hermione opened the heavy book, rapidly flicking through its pages. "I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of lighting reading…"

"You call this light?" Ron demanded incredulously. He shut up at the look Hermione fixed on him.

Ivy stuffed a fist in her mouth to keep from giggling.

Hermione read a portion of the text before glancing at her friends, expecting them to all look impressed judging from her expression.

Harry was the first to speak. "That must be what that three-headed dog is guarding."

"Fluffy?" Ivy whispered, glancing around the library to make sure nobody was listening to them.

"What're we going to do then?" Ron asked, his voice almost a whimper. His eyes were wide, obviously not relishing having anything to do with Fluffy, ever.

"We're going to have to get that stone before Snape does." Harry said determinedly.

"Oh bloody hell…" Ivy and Ron moaned together.

**~!~**

"Harry, are you awake?"

Harry's green eyes shot open and he almost shrieked. It took a second to realize that the owlishly round eyes belonged to Ivy, who had been confined behind screens earlier when he had first woken up and spoken to Dumbledore.

She was looming over him, gnawing on her bottom lip. From what he could see in the dim candlelight, it looked like smoke was pouring out her ears. "You look pretty banged up." She commented, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I feel it." He muttered, slowly adjusting himself so he was in a half sitting position. "Dumbledore said I'd been here a few days."

"Yeah, they brought you in a couple days ago." She nodded, turning her head to cough before staring at him again. "You look awful, Harry."

"I don't exactly feel all that good. Besides, you're not looking too swell yourself."

"I know. Madam Pomfrey has been dosing me with Pepper-Up potion but it's not working, I think it's driving her mad." Ivy actually sounded cheerful.

Harry couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help."

"You're here now."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Most of these scenes have been recycled from Young Forever.

**Hogwarts, Year Two 1992-1993**

"Mum, honestly!"

"There's Ivy," Ron pointed as best he could through the crowd that had packed Flourish and Blotts wall to wall as they made their way towards the front. "that must be her mother."

Harry stared in the direction Ron was pointing, spotting Ivy scowling up at a tall woman who had the same straight raven colored hair as their friend. The woman's face was impossibly smooth and marble-like.

"Do not frown, Ivanna, you'll wrinkle your forehead." She scolded, rapping her knuckles against her daughter's brow.

Automatically, Ivy adopted the same expressionless demeanor as her mother though her blue eyes were flashing with annoyance. Turning away, she folded her arms across the front of her chest and looked around the shop, spotting Ron and Harry.

Before they could acknowledge her, they were distracted.

"Famous Harry Potter, can't even go into a bloody bookshop without making a scene. I bet you loved that, didn't you Potter?" sneered Draco Malfoy, stuffing a torn book page inside his black cloak.

"Leave him alone, Malfoy." Ginny Weasley ordered, pushing her way forward to join the boys.

"Oh look Potter, you got yourself a girlfriend." Draco crowed, though his smirk turned into a sneer when Ivy approached. "What do YOU want, Rennes?"

"Manners, Draco." Lucius Malfoy rested the head of his cane on his son's shoulder, staring down at the assembled children. "Well, well, Ivanna, how… interesting to find you… here."

Here being, with the filth.

Ivy stiffened, feeling Hermione brushing against her as she sidled into the group. She didn't offer up a response, instead settled for frowning.

**~!~**

"You filthy, little Mud-Blood!"

"How dare you!" Ivy shrieked, stepping aside as Ron advanced.

"Eat slugs, Malfoy!"

Hermione and Ivy both let out gasps of disgust when the curse back fired causing Ron to belch out a stream of slugs.

Snickering, the Slytherin Quidditch team, along with their new Seeker –Malfoy- continued on their way to the Quidditch Pitch.

Between Harry, Hermione, and Ivy, they managed to drag Ron off towards Hagrid's, leaving behind the Gryffindor team.

**~!~**

"You would think that the Chamber of Secrets would have been found by now, especially since the school's been searched so many times." Ron commented, ignoring Hermione's mutterings about not bringing her copy of_ Hogwarts, A History_.

Ivy arched an eyebrow at him, also ignoring Hermione. "That's just it Ron, the chamber isn't going to be found by anyone except for Slytherin's Heir."

"Draco Malfoy." Harry said, sitting upright in his chair.

The three turned their eyes on him.

"Well think about it. His family is Pure-Blood and goes back how many generations?"

Ivy squirmed when they all looked at her. "Several." She finally said, just a bit grudgingly. "But the thing is most of the Pure-Blood families are all related one way or another. So it could be any of them."

"It could be you." Ron pointed out thoughtlessly, wincing when Hermione kicked him beneath the table. "What'd I do?"

"Yes, because I hate Muggleborn's so much I'm going to open some bloody chamber and set loose a monster." She said sarcastically. "Honestly, Ron."

"Well," Hermione cleared her throat, speaking quickly to prevent an argument. "there is a way to find out if it's Malfoy." She waited until everyone was looking her way again before smiling hesitantly. "Polyjuice Potion."

**~!~**

"Well, it could be worse." Ivy said casually, studying Hermione's ears and tail with an amused twinkle in her blue eyes.

"How could it be worse?" Hermione wailed, pulling her robes up around her face once again. "I have a tail!"

"You could be hacking a hairball."

Ron and Harry had to stifle sniggers, both turning their heads away.

As if on cue, Hermione began to retch, her yellow eyes widening.

"Oh bloody hell…" Ivy took a step back, the Slytherin robes she wore dragging on the bathroom floor. "Mione, turn around and get it in the loo at least."

Hermione turned, slamming the stall door on them.

**~!~**

"I'll KILL Hagrid, I really will!" Ivy fumed, watching as Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia sped back into the Forbidden Forest.

"What's he playing at? Sending us in there?" Ron demanded, trying to shake the collywobbles away. He was looking peaky, though they weren't blaming him for it.

Giant spiders and all.

"Yeah, but now we know that Hagrid didn't do it." Harry said soothingly, sounding almost smug.

"Harry Potter, you ENJOYED that didn't you?" Ivy accused.

Harry didn't consider himself to be a brave wizard but he would never say he was a coward either. However, with the look his friend was giving him, he decided discretion was the better part of valor. "Of course not!"

"Good, because we almost died."

Ron looked faintly green now. "Can we go? I think I'm going to be sick."

**~!~**

"Why is it I always seem to be in the infirmary whenever you go off and do something heroic?"

Harry spooned another helping of treacle tart into his mouth, shrugging as he glanced at Ivy. "At least you weren't sick this time." He said after he had swallowed.

"This is true." She conceded, having been serving a detention by helping Madam Pomfrey sort healing potions. "Not that I fancied having to stock Pepper-Up potion mind you."

"I would have preferred that."

"I can only imagine." Ivy studied him musingly, leaning in until she playfully nudged his shoulder with hers.

Harry returned the nudge, smiling somewhat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hogwarts, Year Three 1993-1994**

After opening his birthday presents and cards from Ron, Hermione and Hagrid; Harry examined Ivy's. He had saved it for last simply because he wasn't entirely sure about opening it; it looked almost too fancy to be something that was meant for him. The wrapping was a glossy pale blue color with silver ties around it, the colors were how he knew it was from Ivy, and they were her favorites. Not to mention it was expensive looking and he knew she came from money even if she downplayed it. A bit like him downplaying the money he had inherited from his parent's.

Careful not to overly tear the wrapping paper, Harry pried the lid off the box and stared down into it. Smiling slightly, he plucked out one of the chess pieces and examined it. He wasn't entirely sure what it was made out of, but it seemed very strong, very durable. Ivy had gotten him what looked to be a very well-made Wizard's chess set, well-made no doubt because he tended to lose spectacularly to Ron, his own pieces being horribly chipped in the losing process.

Smiling, Harry put away his presents and placed all the birthday cards on the dresser.

**~!~**

"Hagrid, he has to go to the hospital!"

Ivy hung back with Harry, watching as Hagrid scooped the wounded Malfoy up into his arms, trying not to smile. It was his own bloody fault; Hagrid had warned them all how proud the Hippogriffs were.

"You'll pay for this," Malfoy moaned. "you and your bloody chicken."

"Did he just call Buckbeak a chicken?" Harry asked curiously, glancing down at her.

Ivy smiled slightly. "That chicken knocked him down a peg, didn't he?"

Ron was just standing there with a dreamy grin on his face. "I think that should always be a part of class."

"It's not funny Ronald!" Hermione snapped, watching as Hagrid's massive back retreated with the still moaning Malfoy. "There'll be trouble because of this, just you wait."

**~!~**

"Of course if it were my parents, I'd want revenge."

Ivy looked between Harry and Malfoy, really wishing she could hex her former friend but didn't dare attempt it. She did not fancy serving a detention set by Professor Snape. She focused on Harry who was obviously puzzling out Malfoy's words regarding the fugitive Sirius Black. "Shut it, Malfoy." She whispered crossly, glancing back to make sure Snape wasn't lurking nearby as he was wont to do during the most inconvenient times.

Malfoy turned his pale, cold eyes onto her, his upper lip curling with disdain. "Nobody was talking to you, traitor."

Returning the look, she flung the pieces of root she had been made to chop for him at him. It was well worth it when his mouth dropped open in surprise, only for a slice of root to land it his mouth.

Snape turned around in time to see Ivy's actions, followed by Malfoy beginning to choke. "Apneo." He said, pointing his wand at Malfoy's back. "Miss Rennes, you have just earned yourself a detention."

"Buggar." She muttered under her breath.

**~!~**

"He's being a prat! Crookshanks is a cat, cats chase rodents."

Ivy listened as Hermione went on about Ron, having heard it all before. Ron and Hermione were having a bit of a tiff over their pets. Hermione's cat kept trying to get to Scabbers, and Ron was peeved while Hermione kept saying it was in the cat's nature. Personally, Ivy didn't like cats or rats, she was more of an owl person herself but she kept her opinions to herself.

"It's not like I can keep Crookshanks locked up all the time, he needs to be allowed to prowl." Hermione continued, lowering her voice as they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Ivy asked, changing the subject. Cats and rats, rats and cats. This pet war was driving her mad, and she was fairly certain it was beginning to grate on Harry's nerves as well.

"Yes, aren't you?"

Ivy shrugged, now wishing they were back on the subject of pets. "I don't know yet. My mother never signed my form and she hasn't responded to my owl."

Hermione heard the change in her friend's voice and looped their arms together. "I'm sure she will." She said confidently. "You'll see."

**~!~**

Harry was still musing about Professor Lupin actually drinking something Snape had given him when he spotted Ivy rounding a corner, her shoulders hunched. Frowning, he ran forward until he was walking alongside her. "I thought you went to Hogsmeade?" He asked, pushing aside the memory of the smoking goblet for the moment.

"No, not this time."

He remembered Hermione privately telling him that Ivy's mum hadn't bothered with signing her form or even replying to her owl about it. With the Dursley's, he had pretty much expected them to ignore his requests, or to forget about the deal he had made with Uncle Vernon. Providing he hadn't accidentally blown up Marge and then run away. Her parents though, he just didn't understand.

From what she had mentioned –and it wasn't really a lot as talking about her family seemed to embarrass Ivy- the Rennes were well off. Not as rich as the Malfoys, but more comfortable than most. They were also Pure-Bloods who looked down on others, which had explained Ivy's attitude during the beginning of their first year.

"Well," He said, trying to get her mind off her misery. "let me tell you about what just happened with Professor Lupin."

Ivy gave him her full and undivided attention.

**~!~**

"We decided that your need is much greater than ours."

Harry heard Fred and George's words replaying themselves as he stared down at the map in his hands, wondering how he could have thought it was just an old piece of paper. He could also hear Hermione clear as day as if she were standing right there beside him. _"Harry, really, with Sirius Black looking for you, you should stay in the castle!"_

Ignoring that voice, he began running back towards the Common Room. When he was inside, he wasn't surprised to find Ivy curled up in an armchair with a book in her hands, though she wasn't reading it so much as staring at a single page.

She looked up when he crouched beside her chair. "Hello."

"Come with me."

The excited gleam in his vivid green eyes was enough to rouse her curiosity. Smiling in a confused sort of way, Ivy laid aside the book and stood up, nodding.

Harry led the way out of the Common Room. They were going to Hogsmeade.

**~!~**

Ivy wondered how Harry could manage without having a breakdown. He had found out that Sirius Black had been his father's best friend when they had been at school, best man at his wedding, and then betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort. If she would have been in Harry's place, she probably would have started examining her friends a bit more closely, just to check for any hidden murderous qualities.

He had gotten a Firebolt for Christmas, which was great because his Nimbus had been smashed to bits by the Whomping Willow during a very disastrous Quidditch match. The not so great part had been when Hermione had appeared in the Common Room with Professor McGonagall in tow. The broom had been confiscated on the grounds that Sirius Black had probably sent it to Harry; and there might have been a jinx placed on it.

While Ivy could see Hermione's point, she could also feel Harry's pain and rage over the loss. It was a bloody Firebolt! So now Harry wasn't really talking to Hermione. Ron wasn't either, because of the Firebolt on top of Crookshanks still repeatedly attacking Scabbers.

Then to cap it all off, Harry was taking lessons with Professor Lupin to learn how to ward off Dementors.

Ivy privately wondered when Harry would have that breakdown.

**~!~**

"Bloody hell Hermione… you look… really horrible."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she looked up into Ivy's startled face.

Ivy immediately felt bad, it had just slipped out but it was true. Hermione had been acting strange. She seemed constantly tired, she was cross and edgy at the same time, and she was constantly behind piles of books. Her extremely odd schedule seemed to be catching up with her.

"I got a note from Hagrid." Hermione whispered, holding out the slip of parchment she had been reading. "I meant to show it to Harry and Ron."

Ivy read it quickly, feeling the blood draining from her face.

They were going to execute Buckbeak.

**~!~**

"Harry, no, come back!" Ivy yelled, her eyes larger than normal as she watched Harry tear after Sirius and Remus, an Animgaus and a bloody werewolf. "Bloody HELL!" She cursed, keeping her arm wrapped around Ron.

Ron's lips were pressed tightly together, his face pale and pinched with pain.

They clung even tighter to each other when what sounded like a second werewolf howled.

**~!~**

"Just once, I would like to not spend the end of term in the hospital wing."

"It's becoming a tradition." Harry laughed softly, their footsteps echoing off the corridor floor as they walked away from the hospital wing, having just visited Ron who was supposed to be released later in the day.

"Did Hermione really turn in the Time-Turner then?"

"Yeah, I reckon she's had enough of it."

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"It'll turn out alright you know, with Sirius."

Harry glanced down at her, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he relaxed and nodded.

She offered a tentative smile.

Harry returned it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hogwarts, Year Four 1994-1995**

"How high up are we?"

"Well, let me put it this way, if it rains you'll be the first to know."

Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's turned to find Lucius Malfoy staring up at them. Behind him were his son Draco, who had his arm linked through Ivy's. Ivy looked positively mortified at seeing her friends whereas Draco only tightened his grip, smirking.

Lucius followed Harry's stare to Ivy, turning back with extremely cold eyes. "Do mind your manners, Potter." He drawled in his equally cold voice. "It is very rude to stare." When Harry turned to go, Lucius reached out with his cane to clamp the silver head of it down on railing lining the walkway, catching Harry's fingers. "Do enjoy yourself, while you can."

Ivy was giving serious consideration to throwing herself over the railing.

**~!~**

"You mean you spent the summer with the Malfoy's?"

Ivy really wished Ron didn't sound so… repulsed, it almost made her blush, or maybe feel a bit dirty. "Well I had too, didn't I?" She said a bit defensively. "His family and mine go way back."

"It's just…" Ron cursed when Hermione reached across the seat to hit him with her newspaper. "Bloody hell, Hermione!"

She gave him a look.

Pretending not to notice, Ivy looked at the floor.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" The plump witch who always pushed the trolley on the Hogwarts Express asked, peering in through the open compartment door.

Ron immediately was up, all thoughts of summer vacation and where people spent it pushed aside as food took over.

Waiting patiently, Harry and Ivy moved forward only after Ron had made his purchases.

"Two pumpkin pasties, please."

Ivy glanced up to find Harry now staring at a fifth year, Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw who was also Seeker for her house Quidditch team. She arched an eyebrow when Cho and Harry exchanged nervous, shy smiles and cleared her throat. "A Chocolate Frog, please."

"Just the one, dear?"

"I just want to bite its head off."

**~!~**

"Personally, I think we should just stamp on the lot of them before Hagrid finds out what they do eat. They'll probably wind up bigger than us." Hermione said as they made their way back to the castle from their Care of Magical Creatures class.

Ivy was not going to be the one to admit that Malfoy had been quite right when he had asked 'but what do they do'. Hagrid wasn't very concerned about what a creature could do so much as concerned about the creature itself. Which made him… She let that train of thought die off, catching the dark look on Harry's face. "What?"

"You have a _look_."

"I _do not_ have a _look_."

"You do."

"I don't."

"It's that 'we're in for it now' look you get whenever you're thinking something nobody else will like." Harry accused.

Ivy did not like his tone and flicked her hair over her shoulder with a sniff. "I just think it would be nice to know what the point of Blast-Ended Skrewts is. Like Hermione pointed out, they'll probably grow to be bigger than us and I wouldn't be surprised if what they eat is people."

Hermione and Ron hurried on ahead, neither about to get into this one.

**~!~**

"Harry Potter!"

Ivy's jaw did not hit her plate as so many of her peers had when Professor Dumbledore called Harry's name, but her eyebrows did threaten to disappear into her hairline. Across the table from her sat the obviously in shock Harry.

"Harry, go!" Hermione whispered harshly, reaching over to give him a push.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Hermione and Ivy exchanged worried looks before both of them glanced over at Ron, whose face was unreadable.

**~!~**

"It's not like I asked for this you know!" Harry half-growled, frustration causing him to begin viciously kicking at whatever was in his path, including a very large, immovable rock.

Ivy watched as he began cursing, hearing a few of Ron's favorites coming out, and winced. "I know you didn't Harry." She soothed, heading towards the Black Lake. "Ron's just… jealous." She knew Hermione had already covered this with Harry but it didn't seem to have done any good.

"Yeah, well, if he likes he can take my place." Harry muttered, following her gingerly. "He can have the scar, and the twinges, and people trying to off him all the bloody time." He realized what he was saying and quickly shut up, looking at her.

She wasn't looking at him but the lake, her hands clenched into tight fists.

**~!~**

"Ron, you really need to let it go." Ivy said idly, examining her fingernails with an almost bored air.

Ron grunted, surveying the crowd that was seated to watch the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. He was about to ask where Hermione had gone off to but then figured he knew, she had probably gone to check on Harry. He grunted again.

"I mean, it's not like Harry asked for all this." Ivy continued as if he had actually replied to her. "You know he didn't. You also know Harry would have told you if he found a way to slip his name into the Goblet of Fire."

When he didn't immediately respond, she prodded him with her elbow. "I know." He grudgingly admitted.

They lapsed into silence as the champions fought their dragons, gasping and cheering right along with the rest of the crowd. When Harry emerged, both Ron and Ivy were pale and clammy.

Ron was sure Ivy would scream herself hoarse, having to grip the back of her jacket more than once to keep her from falling over herself and tumbling down the benches. When Harry snatched his golden egg, Ron had to catch her as she dropped backwards, his own eyes wide as a jet of fire was unleashed from the enraged dragon. "He's done it!" He croaked.

"Thank Merlin…" Ivy breathed, closing her eyes as she exhaled shakily. "I thought…"

"He's fine, Ives. C'mon, let's go see him."

**~!~**

"The Yule Ball is first and foremost, a dance."

Hermione and Ivy exchanged looks, both chattering excitedly right along with the rest of the girls. Across the room from them, the boys were all slouching in their seats, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

When McGonagall pulled Ron out onto the floor to demonstrate dancing, Ivy and Hermione both had to stuff their fists in their mouths to keep from snickering.

"Everyone come together!"

The girls rose instantly.

"Boys, on your feet!"

Ivy was more than a bit surprised when Neville Longbottom was only boy to stand, smiling encouragingly at him.

**~!~**

"At this rate, we'll be the only ones in our year without dates." Ron said, wincing when Snape shoved the back of his head.

To his right, Hermione shook her head. To his left, Harry bent over his homework. Across from them, Ivy just looked amused.

Waiting until Snape had passed; Ron leaned in towards Harry, sounding faintly amused as he said: "Well, us and Neville."

"Yeah, but then again, he can take himself." Harry joked.

Ivy shook her head, tapping her quill against her book.

"Neville's already got someone." Hermione informed the boys, not looking up from her work.

"Now I'm really depressed. Who's he going with?"

Ivy just shrugged when Ron and Harry glanced her way.

George interrupted the musings by amusingly using whispers and a lot of gesturing to ask Angelina to the ball.

This apparently inspired Ron because he suddenly looked at Hermione as if seeing her for the first time. "Oi, Hermione, you're a girl."

Harry and Ivy both winced at that.

"Well spotted." She replied acidly.

"Come with one of us?"

Snape appeared again, this time getting both Ron and Harry with a composition book he had been reviewing.

When Ron mentioned a girl going solo would look sad, and it looked like Hermione was going to hex him into the next year, Ivy had to look away. Ron really was clueless sometimes.

**~!~**

"So who's Hermione going with?" Ron demanded.

Given that he had been asking her that almost nonstop since Hermione had informed him that she already had a date for the Yule Ball, Ivy wasn't bothered in the least by him asking for the hundredth time. "I'm not telling you, Ronald." She said, watching as Harry moved a rook forward.

"I think she's just making it up, trying to save face."

"Do you now?"

Harry grinned when his rook began attacking one of her pawns before dragging it off the chessboard. "Not too hard, I like this chess set!"

Ivy grinned at him. It was the set she had given him for his 13th birthday.

"Who are you going with?" He asked curiously, staring at her instead of the board where she was attempting to extract revenge.

"I'll be one of those sad girls going alone."

Ron's ears turned red.

**~!~**

Given how obliviously cruel Ron had been, Ivy felt no small amount of satisfaction on Hermione's behalf when he looked astounded at seeing her with Viktor Krum AND positively gorgeous in her fancy dress with her hair tamed and done up elegantly.

Though she did feel bad for whichever Patil Harry had brought to the ball, because he was ignoring her in favor of watching Cho and Cedric.

Ivy had done exactly what she said and come alone. She had been asked to the ball several times, but never by anyone who struck her fancy. Unlike Harry, she wasn't required to dance the opening waltz, so she didn't feel it necessary to actually come with someone.

When she seen Harry's date, the other Patil, all but running away with a Durmstrang lad, she shook her head and made her way over to her friends. "Not dancing, boys?"

Ron hardly looked at her, more focused on glaring at the dancing Hermione and Viktor.

"You're not dancing either." Harry pointed out quickly.

"But I have, once with Neville and once with George." She grabbed Harry's arm and gave him a playful tug. "One dance Harry, I promise not to steer you around."

"I don't dance."

"Please, just one?" She batted her eyelashes at him.

Sparing a look at Ron who just shrugged grumpily, Harry blushed a bit as he allowed her to pull him out of his seat.

**~!~**

"How is she doing it? How is she spying on us, how can she know about that conversation I had with Viktor?" Hermione knew she was repeating herself, and wearing a path in the carpet, but she couldn't help herself. Somehow, Rita Skeeter was finding out things she had no business knowing, she was getting on school grounds when she had been banned. It was driving Hermione insane.

"I'd be more concerned about being caught up in this love triangle." Ivy said from Hermione's bed, sprawled out with the magazine before her, reading the article about Harry, Hermione and Krum. "You broke poor Harry's heart it says."

"Oh shut up, and quit quoting that rubbish at me!"

"It's Rita Skeeter, she's a horrible person, and we both know that. You shouldn't even worry about her."

"But she's sneaking around and listening in on my private conversations! How would you like it if it were you?"

"Me? Caught in a love triangle? Don't be silly." Ivy said dismissively. "I'd be in a love cluster."

Hermione turned her back on Ivy in order to hide her smile.

**~!~**

"He's learned enough, he'll be alright. Of course, we could have probably spent more time on-"

"Hermione!" Ivy interrupted her friend's worried diatribe, a bit irritated. "He'll be fine. It's just a maze, he can get through it."

Of course, just a maze wasn't really accurate. It was more than a maze but Ivy wasn't about to expound on everything that could be inside and go wrong inside the maze.

Before either of them could worry anymore, Harry suddenly appeared on the lawn, clutching the cup. Around them deafening cheers arose from the spectators, though Hermione and Ivy were both silent, staring.

Something was wrong.

**~!~**

Harry walked the outskirts of the courtyard, watching as the Beaubaxton and Durmstrang students exchanged goodbyes with the Hogwarts crowd. He could see Hermione blushing as Viktor Krum whispered something in her ear, and Fleur Delacour had just kissed Ron. He almost managed a smile.

He was aware when he was joined, glancing out the corner of his eye to find Ivy quietly walking alongside him. She didn't say anything and neither did he, they just found a place to perch away from the hustle and bustle, enjoying each other's company without feeling obligated to force conversation on the other.

After the foreign students had left and the Hogwarts students had made their way back inside the castle or off into the grounds, Hermione and Ron found their way to Harry and Ivy.

"Do you think we'll ever have just have a quiet year at Hogwarts?" Ron asked with a half-grin.

Hermione, Harry, and Ivy all began smiling, shaking their heads and said together: "No."

"I didn't think so. Ah well, what's life without a few dragons?" He chuckled, clamping a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry, Ron, and Ivy began to walk forward, halting when Hermione didn't join them.

"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" She asked softly.

Walking up to her, Harry put a hand on her shoulder and nodded. "Yes."

She nodded back, almost steeling herself before smiling, stepping forward to link her arm through his and then Ivy's, Ivy taking ahold of Ron's arm. Ron and Harry exchanged tolerant smiles, having gotten used to the touchy feely, girly gestures some time ago. "Promise you'll write this summer, all of you."

Ron snorted, looking at her like she was mad. "I won't, you know I won't."

Hermione glanced at Ivy.

"Sure, I'll write you." Ivy said with a smile.

Harry grinned as well when Hermione turned her gaze onto him, looking quickly to Ron. "Yeah, every week." He teased.

They all laughed at that.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Yes, this is a Harry/Ivy fic. Unless my mind changes itself (it's been known to happen) the pairings will likely be: Harry/Ivy, Ron/Luna, and Draco/Hermione.

**Hogwarts, Year Five 1995-1996**

12 Grimmauld Place was not a very hospitable place Ivy thought as she was led down the dusty hallway, ignoring the paintings on the wall in favor of trying to not fall flat on her face in the darkness.

"Quiet." Remus Lupin, her ex-DADA-professor, werewolf, and escort whispered from ahead.

She followed him down the hall until entering a door that led to a dimly lit basement kitchen. A low burning fire flickered at one end of the long room while a single lit candle rested on the table.

It took her a moment to realize Sirius Black was sitting at the table, hunched over a parchment. Hesitantly, she looked at Lupin, unsure of what to say or do.

Remus cleared his throat. "Sirius, she's here."

Sirius looked up, his expression blank for a moment before he offered a smile, receiving a tentative one in return. Nodding to Remus, he stood up from the table and walked around in order to take her hands in his.

Ivy stared up at him, seeing the understanding in his eyes and blinked back tears. She had a feeling he knew exactly how she felt.

**~!~**

"Hedwig! OW!"

Ron's bellows of pain followed by Hermione's shrieks were what had drawn Ivy towards Ron's room. She peered in the open door to find the pair trying to fend off Harry's snowy white owl as she circled them, clicking her beak furiously. "What's going on?"

"Hedwig's attacking us!" Hermione yelped, hiding her hands by tucking them beneath her armpits, ducking when Hedwig flew by.

Clucking her tongue, Ivy almost cringed when the owl swooped towards her and inwardly let out a sigh of relief when Hedwig just perched on her shoulder. "Hello." She greeted, reaching up to stroke the gleaming feathers in her view. "I'm going to venture a guess that Harry is a bit sick of your mysterious letters." She said to her friends, watching as they both examined their bleeding fingers.

"Well it's not our fault we can't tell him anything." Ron muttered darkly, shooting Hedwig a look.

"But it is your fault you keep telling him that you can't. Stop talking about what you can't say and start saying things you can." Ivy replied, rolling her eyes when he looked confused. Hermione on the other hand looked abashed. "You could also tell him hi for me."

Hermione shot her an irritated look, scowling. "I believe that would fall under things we're not allowed to tell him."

"Well, it was worth a try."

**~!~**

"That sounds like Harry."

Ivy looked up from the vial she had been observing when George spoke, arching an eyebrow at him. "Trying to spy again are we?" She drawled, not surprised to see an Extendable Ear dangling from his hand.

George followed her gaze and grinned broadly. "It's not spying, it's listening in."

"Harry's downstairs, bellowing from the sounds of it." Fred announced, walking into the bedroom he shared with his twin. He smirked when he seen Ivy. "If you two wanted to be alone all you had to do was say so… though Ivy, I don't think much of your taste, I am the better looking one after all."

George began laughing uncontrollably when Ivy smirked and threw the vial at Fred.

The expression on Fred's face was priceless as he tried to dodge out of the way, not even thinking of deflecting with his wand. He wasn't fast enough and upon contact with his chest, there was the tinkle of breaking glass and a lot of violently pink smoke.

When the smoke cleared, George and Ivy had to cling to each other, they were laughing so hard.

**~!~**

Harry had paused for a breath of air when two loud cracks rent the room. Whirling around, his gaze landed first on George, who was clutching a giggling Ivy. Then he was thoroughly distracted by Fred, who from the tip of his shoes to the top of his head (and hair) was a shade of pink he was certain even his Aunt Petunia would have nothing to do with.

"Hullo Harry, we thought that was you we heard bellowing." George greeted when he could speak without snickering, tears of mirth in his eyes as he kept shooting looks at his twin.

Fred was smiling good-naturedly, though when he glanced at Ivy, his eyes promised retaliation. "You shouldn't bottle it all in like that, Harry." He said by way of greeting. "Just get it all out."

Ron and Hermione both looked petrified, Ivy thought dispassionately as she untangled herself from George. She had a feeling the bellowing had been Harry having a go at them, not that she blamed him. She almost expected him to turn it on her, Harry did sometimes have a bit of a… temper, and he could be quite moody.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded after a terse moment, he had practically memorized Hermione, Ron, and Sirius' letters and not one of them mentioned Ivy. He could feel his anger rising again as well as a slight twinge of betrayal. They had known she was here and hadn't told him? Even worse, she hadn't bothered writing at all.

"Long story that." was the vague answer.

"Harry, we wanted to tell you, honestly." Hermione said softly, obviously hoping to avoid another outburst from him. "But Dumbledore made us promise not to, in case the letters were intercepted."

"Yeah, yeah, I get that." Harry said flatly, trying to control the anger as well as ignore the twinge from his scar. "But why didn't anyone tell me Ivanna was here? Why didn't you write?" He demanded, facing her directly.

"Hermione just told you, Dumbledore made them promise, he made me promise as well." Ivy did not sound pleased, but whether that was due to Dumbledore's orders or use of her full, and much hated, name, Harry wasn't sure.

"Why?"

"Time for dinner!" Mrs. Weasley announced as she walked into the room, completely unaware or perhaps ignoring the tension that filled it. "Harry, come down and let's get you a plate, you're looking peaky." As she guided him out of the room, she glanced over her shoulder. "You too Ivy, you're far too skinny, it's not healthy in a girl your age."

Harry looked back as well, just to see the look on Ivy's face. She was very particular about her weight, and she usually did not handle personal remarks well. To his surprise, she was smiling at Mrs. Weasley.

**~!~**

"This is the Black Family tree." Sirius said with more than a hint of disdain in his tone as he examined the tapestry. "I haven't looked at it since I was your age…"

Harry listened as he studied the tapestry, noting there were several places where it looked like large cigarette burns had been put into the heavy material.

"My mother, charming woman, blasted me off the tree after I ran away." Sirius pointed to one of the holes, with his name beneath it. "I was sixteen."

"Why did you run away?" Harry asked, unable to help himself.

"I couldn't stand them, my parents, with their Pureblood mania. They thought Voldemort had the right idea, you know, at least until he showed his true colors. You've seen enough of this house to know what kind of people my parents were."

"Where did you go?"

"To your father's." Sirius smiled, reminiscing. "I camped out there for a while until I turned seventeen, then I got my own place. I had an inheritance from my Uncle Alphard. That's probably why he isn't on here either. Nor is Tonks…" Sirius traced a finger along the line. "Andromeda, her mother, was my favorite cousin."

Harry stared at the name, Andromeda, and felt a jolt in the pit of his stomach when he seen the lines attaching to her sisters. Narcissa and Bellatrix. Trying not to scowl, he looked for the name he knew would be there. Draco Malfoy. "You're related to the Malfoys?"

"Harry," Sirius said patiently, obviously understanding the tension in his godson's voice. "Most of the Pureblood families are related, it was bound to happen if you're only to let your children marry other Purebloods. I'm Molly's second cousin or some such, Arthur's as well, but you'll never find them on here. The Weasley's are the biggest family of Pureblood traitors." The way he said it made it sound like a compliment.

Harry was following Bellatrix Lestrange's line with a frown, to her husband Rodolphus and then to Rabastan. Rabastan Lestrange's name was connected to an Aimee Rennes-Lestrange. Beneath them was Ivanna Rennes.

"Ivy's related to the Malfoys?" Harry could not keep his voice down, wincing at how loud that came out.

"Like I said… all the Pureblood families are related. So she and I are also cousins."

Harry wasn't listening anymore; he had turned around looking for Ivy only to find she had left the room. Everyone else, however, was staring at him. Ron looked bemused. Hermione was shaking her head.

**~!~**

"I'm glad that the Wizengamot cleared you."

Harry idly wondered why Ivy spent so much time in Fred and George's room, he knew she was sharing with Hermione and Ginny, but she seemed to be here more often than not. "Er, thanks. Look, Ivy, about the other day…"

"It's fine." She turned from the window she had been staring out, giving him a half-smile. "You didn't know, it was a shock, I understand."

"You never mentioned it before." He purposely put that out there, trying not to make it sound too challenging but at the same time… there had been several times when she could have informed them, him. Actually, he racked his memory; Ivy very rarely spoke of her family or her home life.

"Why would I?" Ivy shook her head, her eyes unreadable. "Why on earth would I tell people that my… father… is a Lestrange? The Lestranges were Voldemort's greatest supporters; you think I'm proud of having that in my blood? Because I'm not."

"I never… I didn't mean…" Harry felt his stomach twisting in guilty knots, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought of the words he wanted to say opposed to just sounding like a blithering idiot. "Ivy…"

"My mother had the Lestrange dropped from my name after Rabastan was sent to Azkaban. While she was a Voldemort supporter, she had never done anything illegal, that the Ministry could determine at any rate." Ivy continued as if he hadn't said anything, her fists clenched tightly at her side. "She didn't want the stigma of being a Lestrange attached to me, it was one of the few kind things she has ever done."

"You don't have to tell me this, Ivy, not if you don't want too. I didn't mean to be a prat the other day." Harry said quickly, stifling his curiosity at why she hadn't been allowed to tell him she was here, or why she was here in the first place.

"Well… now you know."

**~!~**

"Why wasn't Harry or Ivy made Prefect?"

Harry and Ivy exchanged looks, both wishing they would quit overhearing things. Harry was still battling his feelings over discovering Ron had been made Prefect whereas Ivy did not seem to care in the least one way or the other.

"Dumbledore probably feels Harry has enough on his plate at the moment. From my understanding about Ivy, she's a bit of a troublemaker."

Ivy grinned at that.

Harry managed a semblance of a grin as well, edging away so he wouldn't overhear anymore.

**~!~**

"Oh, so according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord then?"

Ivy buried her face in her arms, unable to watch as Professor Umbridge rounded on Harry.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident."

She risked a glance, not surprised in the least to find that Harry was coloring a shade of red she usually only seen on Ron's ears.

"It was not an accident! Voldemort murdered him!"

Also not surprising was the fact that Harry received detention.

**~!~**

"Potter is nothing but an attention loving liar; you would think he'd be past that by now, what with-" Pansy Parkinson never got to finish her sentence. Instead she shut up, feeling the tip of a wand digging into the back of her neck.

"I dare you to finish that sentence, you cow." Ivy sneered coldly, her eyes flashing angrily. She was getting sick and tired of not being able to walk the castle without overhearing someone talking about Harry and how he was either an attention seeking prat or criminally insane. She knew he was neither.

"You blood traitor!" Pansy hissed, slowly turning around, keeping her gaze trained on the wand. "As if running away from home and breaking your mother's heart wasn't enough, now you're going to-"

"Miss Rennes, put that away at once. What do you think you are doing?"

Ivy groaned at that way to familiar, sickly sweet, absurdly girlish voice. Tucking her wand back beneath the sleeve of her robe, she slowly turned around, keeping the haughty expression firmly in place. "I was threatening Parkinson, Professor." She said in a tone that implied it was obvious.

Umbridge's eyes narrowed as a smile spread across her face, revealing her oddly pointed teeth. "Detention."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hope everyone is so far having a lovely 2011! Here's the rest of Year 5! Year 6 will probably be broken up as well as I've found that as characters become older, they get more interesting to write. Usually, chapters are posted on my site (see profile, shameless plug yes it is) a day or two before I post them here.

**Hogwarts, Year Five 1995-1996**

"Well, I've found a replacement for you."

"What?" Harry looked up startled as Angelina Johnson impatiently tugged off her scarf, flanked by Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell, all three of them sporting rosy cheeks.

"We held Quidditch try-outs today, to replace you, Fred and George."

His stomach twisted in knots, remembering reluctantly his lifelong ban from Quidditch, thanks to Umbridge.

"Ginny Weasley is going to play Seeker."

"Yeah?" He was honestly surprised at that, eyebrows rising. "She any good?"

"Not as good as you, but since we can't have you." Angelina gave him an extremely nasty look. "She'll do."

"And, um, the beaters?" He asked, biting down the desire to demand if she thought he enjoyed not being able to play.

"Jack Sloper, who's a bit of a whiner." She scoffed, then smirked slightly. "And Ivanna Rennes."

"Ivy?" Harry could not keep the shock from coloring his tone at that. "I didn't know Ivy played Quidditch."

"Well, she does, and if she can keep out detention, she might actually help us win. Since… we lost our best players."

"Do you think I LIKE not being able to play?" He couldn't stop himself.

Angelina shook her head, looking abashed.

Harry's gaze moved past her to Ivy who had just walked in, her own usually pale face ruddy from being outside. Excusing himself, he made his way to her, arching an eyebrow as she smoothed out her hair. "Beater?"

She smiled sweetly. "I like the idea of being able to smack heavy things at other people."

**~!~**

Feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest, Harry finally ventured downstairs. Now that he knew Voldemort couldn't possibly be possessing him, he was ready to eat some of Mrs. Weasley's delicious cooking. He spotted Sirius coming back down the stairs with an empty sack, having just fed Buckbeak and returned the grin his godfather shot him.

"Are you sure I can't get you anything to eat, dear?"

Harry was about to call out to Mrs. Weasley as he approached the kitchen, wondering if she had heard him coming but then why ask if he was sure. Confused, he stepped into the rather festive kitchen, smiling when Mrs. Weasley turned from her place at the head of the long dining table nearest the kitchen to him. "Who are you-" He stopped abruptly when he spotted Ivy sitting at the table, a Butterbeer in front of her.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley beamed at him, gesturing to the table. "Sit down dear; I'll fix you up something to eat."

Nodding, he eased himself into the chair across from Ivy, trying not to stare accusingly at her. Yet again, Ivy had come to Grimmauld Place and nobody had bothered informing her.

"So you've come out of hiding, have you?" She asked, cutting him off before he could even say anything.

That reminded Harry that he had been less than sociable over the Christmas holiday. Offering a sheepish grin, he shrugged. "Sorry, I guess I've been a prat."

She didn't say anything, just sipped her drink.

"When did you get here?"

"I came with Hermione."

"Erm," Harry didn't entirely know how to ask what he was wondering without being blunt, or sounding even more of a prat. "Why?"

She raised her eyebrows.

"Not that, I mean… I'm glad you're here Ivy, really. It's just… usually you spend your holidays at your home, don't you?" He hastened to say quickly, trying to recall a time past this summer where she had spent her breaks with the Weasleys, or at Hogwarts. This was the first.

The look Ivy gave him was both exasperated and pitying. "With Voldemort back, do you really think it would be in my best interest to remain at home? With the wife of Rabastan Lestrange?" She asked in a quiet tone.

"Is your mum still a Voldemort supporter?" He asked, keeping his voice low and glanced quickly at the Weasley Matriarch, who was busy at the cauldron, humming under her breath. He had a feeling this would be a conversation she wouldn't approve of and would most definitely try to stop.

Ivy considered that, draining the rest of her bottle. "I don't know, actually." She confessed. "I know she changed my last name to save me the trouble that would come from being a Lestrange, but… My mother is complicated, Harry." She breathed through her nose, eyes narrowing. "She's a lot like other Purebloods, stuck-up, snobby, thinks that magic should be kept to Wizarding families and to hell with Muggleborns. She's never really discussed that time, the last war, so… I just figured it would be a good idea to make myself scarce, just in case."

Sirius appeared seemingly out of nowhere and joined them at the table, returning the grin Ivy shot him. "So what are we discussing?"

"Ivy." Harry said promptly. "Why couldn't you…" He didn't want to sound like a whiner, but he was still really curious about why Dumbledore hadn't allowed her to write, or be mentioned in Ron or Hermione's letters. "Why couldn't you write?"

Ivy considered him before looking back to Sirius.

Shifting in his seat, Sirius stared down at his godson, looking affectionately amused. "Harry, given that Voldemort is back, and she is the daughter of one of his most… fervent-"

"Obsessive." Ivy muttered.

"Supporters," Sirius continued, the corner of his mouth twitching as he shot Ivy a look. "as well as being one of your best friends… do you see where I'm going with this?"

Harry was fairly certain he did. Ivy would have been used for information about him. He felt his stomach clench, a familiar feeling of being ill washing through him.

Ivy studied him thoughtfully. "I figured that could happen rather quickly, so I packed a bag and hauled my arse out of there."

"Language, Ivy." Mrs. Weasley cautioned, having overheard everything. She wasn't pleased with their conversation but she hadn't interrupted either. She approached the table, bowls of stew in hand and set them before the teenagers before settling herself down in a chair opposite Sirius.

"Oddly enough, Remus found me and brought me here."

"How'd he find you?"

"Dumbledore."

"How'd Dumbledore know you ran away?"

Ivy gave Harry one of her 'duh' looks. "Well, it's Dumbledore, innit?"

**~!~**

"What?" Harry, Ron, and Ivy all demanded when Hermione let out a strangled sort of gasp from behind her morning newspaper. After she had laid the Daily Prophet down for them to read, all three let out respective gasps of their own.

**MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN** screamed the headline.

Harry couldn't stop staring at the mug shot of Bellatrix Lestrange, finally having to force himself to look away. He glanced across the table at Ivy, following her gaze back down to the paper. Rabastan Lestrange had broken out as well.

"Bollocks." Ivy cursed.

**~!~**

"Hold still, Ivy…"

"George, you know how nervous this makes me…" She muttered under her breath. While she trusted the Weasley twin to a certain extent, standing with her back to him while he did something with one of his Weasley Wizard Wheeze products always made the hairs on the back of her neck stand-up. She wouldn't put it past him to attach a tail to her bum or something. "Are you finished yet?"

"Yes, now let's go get Fred." Smirking, George took her hand and pulled her behind a tapestry, slipping off down one of the school's many shortcuts.

**~!~**

"You are very nearly late, Miss Rennes."

"Nearly isn't the same as being, Professor." Ivy replied in as polite a tone she could muster. Apparently she still sounded a tad condescending because Professor Umbridge gave her the most sweetest smile. That smile was always followed by a detention. Before Umbridge could give her detention though, Ivy hurried into the Great Hall.

She caught Harry and Hermione both staring at her, Hermione mouthing something that probably had 'could've missed O.W.L.S' in it, Harry just cocked a curious eyebrow. She subtly shook her head and flashed a quick grin.

It was midway through the exam that the first explosion caught everyone's attention. Keeping her face straight, Ivy only glanced back curiously when enough of her peers had. She could hear Umbridge passing by, allowing a smirk to slide across her lips.

When the first firework came whirling into the Great Hall, she promised herself she would finally tell Fred and George how brilliant they were.

**~!~**

"Give me the Prophecy, Potter."

Harry stared at Lucius Malfoy's hand, his heart hammering wildly in his chest. How he wished he had never brought his friends here, led them into this mess. He could hear Hermione's words coming back to taunt him. '_Don't you think you've got… well, a bit of a saving people, thing?_' He did, and it had cost them all dearly.

"Don't give it to him, Harry!" Neville shouted hoarsely, falling silent abruptly as Bellatrix Lestrange dug her wand into his throat, swallowing hard.

Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ron, and Ivy were all being restrained by Death Eaters. All of them had followed him here, insisted they be allowed to come, and in his haste to reach Sirius, Harry had allowed it. Sirius wasn't even here; he had blindly, stupidly led his friend's right into danger.

He looked to his left, at Ivy. She wasn't being restrained as violently as Neville. The Death Eater beside her was gripping her upper arm tightly, his sunken eyes darting back and forth between her and Harry.

Rabastan Lestrange. It was startling to see how much the pair looked alike, though now was no time to dwell on it. Harry's attention was quickly drawn back to Malfoy, the orb containing the Prophecy resting tightly in Harry's sweaty palm.

"Well… I've waited this long…" He said evenly, managing to suppress the anxiety and fear he was feeling. "I suppose I can wait a little longer."

**~!~**

Harry was going to die, he wanted to die, anything to stop the agonizing, burning pain he was feeling. He could hear the words coming out of his mouth, Voldemort's words. He could see Voldemort in his head; they were one and the same and they were looking back. Cedric, his parents, every bad thing that had ever happened, every person whom he had loved that was now dead... His body writhed on the floor of the Ministry of Magic's now covered with sand lobby. Vaguely, through the blinding pain and Voldemort's barrage of poisonous words, he could hear Dumbledore.

"Harry, it isn't how you are alike, it's how you are not alike." Dumbledore said softly.

Harry lay there panting, able to see Ron, Hermione, and Ivy approaching through the pain induced fog. Hermione seemed to be crying while Ron was paler than usual. Ivy could only stare, the corners of her mouth turning up into what could have been a trembling smile for him. "You're the weak one, and you'll never know love, or friendship." He whispered. "And I feel sorry for you."

**~!~**

"You're a great wizard, you know that, Harry."

Harry looked up from his spot on a rock to find Ivy standing off to the side of him, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her robes. Hastily, he wiped the tears from his cheeks, looking back out at the Black Lake.

"You've done so much, faced down so many evils. You're very brave." She continued, almost as if oblivious to his presence. "It's not fair, really."

Harry was listening, even if he didn't show it.

"It's not fair that most of us will never really know the horrors you have. We're all too soft, to sheltered, I suppose. Though, I reckon you'd pay a great deal to have what we did."

Harry definitely agreed with that sentiment. He would have given anything for just a taste of the normalcy that Ron, Hermione, or… well, maybe not Ivy, but the others possessed. His chest felt like it would burst apart from the pain of it all. Sirius was gone. Harry could close his eyes or keep them open, it didn't matter. All he could see was a replaying vision of Sirius falling through that veil.

Ivy was now sitting on the rock beside him, their shoulders touching as she stared out at the Black Lake. He was certain she was going to say something else, something along the lines of 'we're all here for you' but she didn't.

Instead, Ivy just rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.

After a moment, he hesitantly laid his head on top of hers.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hogwarts, Year Six 1996-1997 -Part 1  
**

With a stomach full of onion soup, Harry trudged upstairs towards Ron's bedroom. He halted on the second landing when he spotted Ivy coming out of the bathroom, smiling hesitantly when she stared at him.

Ivy hesitated, obviously unsure of what to say and finally just offered him a return smile. "I didn't think you'd be here until morning."

"Well… Dumbledore, you know…" Harry shrugged, stepping aside as she moved onto the stairs. To his surprise, Ivy didn't go up or down but merely sat, wrapping her arms around her drawn knees and stared expectantly up at him. He sat beside her, feeling his face turning pink as they were scrunched against each other on the narrow stairs, his thigh pressing against hers, their shoulders rubbing. "When did you get here?"

"I've been here since end of term." She smiled humorlessly, picking a piece of imaginary lint off her pajama top. "I can't exactly go home now that the Death Eaters are free, providing I even wanted to go back in the first place."

"Don't take this the wrong way but… aren't you a Pureblood, shouldn't that-"

"Keep me safe? Sure, if I wasn't also one of Harry Potter's best friends or a blood traitor." Ivy scoffed, shaking her head. "My father," She practically sneered the word, forcibly reminding Harry of Rabastan, they looked too much alike for comfort. "would probably hand me over to Voldemort out of shame, I'm a disgrace to the family." She did perk up at that, her gleeful smile causing Harry to smile as well. "The Weasley's offered to take me in, until I turn seventeen, and then I'll be an adult. I've got an inheritance that I can access when I'm of age, I'll be able to repay them back."

Harry, who had spent quite a bit of time with the Weasley's since befriending Ron, thought that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would be as likely to take the money as Snape would use shampoo. "Um… Good luck with that."

"Shut it you." She leaned into him playfully before carefully getting to her feet and ruffled his already tousled hair. "Night Harry."

"Night Ives."

**~!~**

"Wait a bloody minute, what do you mean neither can live while the other one survives?" Ivy demanded, staring at Harry like he'd gone mental. "Dumbledore is just telling you this now? What gives?"

"It was that prophecy, the one from the Department of Mysteries." Harry explained, watching as Ron and Hermione whispered frantically to each other. He had a sneaking suspicion they were discussing Sirius, or something else that they didn't think Harry would want to hear.

"That doesn't really explain anything, Harry." Ivy said, eyeing him sternly. "So basically someone's got to die?"

"Yeah, something like that." He replied uncomfortably, it had been much easier telling Ron and Hermione, he had predicted their reactions. He could never tell with Ivy, sometimes she was cool and detached about things, on others she turned into a complete… girl. He flinched when Ivy tossed her arms around his neck. It took a second to realize she was crying. Awkwardly, Harry patted her back.

**~!~**

"Rennes!"

Letting out a long suffering sigh, Ivy slowly turned around and waited impatiently for Malfoy to storm up to her. She hadn't been this close to him in a few years and was mildly surprised to find that he was much taller than her now. "What the hell do you want?" She demanded, glancing at the Hogwarts Express and the other students who were boarding it.

"Believe me, I do not want to be anywhere near you, traitor." Draco sneered, his grey eyes boring into hers. "But… I haven't much of a choice."

"So get to the point."

"The point is, Ivanna," Draco took a deep breath, obviously steeling himself to say something he found thoroughly unpleasant. "is that your mother has requested that you stop this foolishness and return home."

"And what does my father have to say about it?" She admitted to herself that seeing Draco flinch at the reference to Rabastan was quite a pleasing sight.

"I wouldn't know, I have yet to speak with him." Draco answered slowly, his face slipping back into its usual mask of indifference, very similar to the one she wore. "I am also to remind you that you are risking your inheritance with your disgraceful behavior."

"Already have that covered, thanks. Anything else?"

His upper lip curving into another sneer, Draco shook his head.

**~!~**

"Ron and Hermione are doing their rounds." Ivy said from behind Witch Weekly when Harry entered the train compartment, not bothering to look up from the article she was perusing. "Shut the door and pull the blind, will you?"

Harry frowned, looking at her oddly before doing it. "Um, why?"

"Just because." Ivy peered over the top of the magazine, eyes darting to the door. She wasn't about to tell him about the platform chat she had had with Draco prior to boarding the train. "Thank you, Harry."

He dropped down on the seat opposite her, leaning back to study his friend. "Ives, what are you reading?" He asked finally.

Ivy smirked at the magazine before tossing it to him.

Catching it, Harry opened the rag to the page she had dog eared, flinching. "100 ways to make your Wizard's toes curl? What the ruddy hell is wrong with you women?"

"Nothing wrong with being prepared, Harry." She replied serenely, reaching over to take the magazine back from him.

**~!~**

Harry, Ron, and Ivy all exchanged guilty looks as Hagrid trotted off happily.

"Um, you dropped Care for Magical Creatures, didn't you?" Ivy asked, trying not to feel like she had just murdered one of Hagrid's beloved pets.

"No." Harry shook his head.

Ron scoffed, trying to diffuse the mutual guilt they were all sharing. "Come on, he can't have honestly thought we'd carry on with it, could he? Hermione's not taking it either."

"Course not, we both dropped Magical Creatures because of N.E.W.T.S., Arithmancy is hard enough as it is, now it will be bloody unbearable." Ivy groaned, dropping her head for a moment as they walked out of the Great Hall. "How Mione manages to get top grades in everything…"

"It's because she's barking mad." Ron said, patting her on the back sympathetically. "She goes on those reading and studying binges, then off her nut, it's not healthy."

Shaking his head, Harry followed the pair.

**~!~**

"So you've been made Quidditch captain then?" Katie said by way of greeting.

Harry nodded, grinning at her. "Yeah."

"So when are tryouts then?"

"Katie, you don't need to tryout, I've seen you play."

Shaking her head, Katie then informed him that that was the wrong way to go about being captain, making sure to reference how old captains had kept talentless players on the team out of friendship.

Harry was fairly certain that wasn't so much a jab at Ivy, who, from what he had seen, played quite well but at Ron, who had played Keeper last year and had a serious case of nerves. When Katie left, he chanced a look at Ron, who was pointedly looking anywhere but at him. Harry then glanced at Ivy, she just shrugged.

"You going to try out for beater again?" He asked, somewhat curious about what she would do. He hadn't known her to be interested in playing Quidditch until last year and he had a sneaking suspicion that a lot of that had been her trying to show him support as well as annoy Umbridge.

Ivy seemed to consider it for exactly one second. "Probably not."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hogwarts, Year Six 1996-1997 -Part 2**

"Oh, Mione, you didn't!" Ivy was torn between shock and amusement, watching as Hermione stiffly readied herself for bed. "You actually Confunded McLaggen? Isn't that against the rules?" She grinned brightly when her friend gave her an exasperated look, tugging her own pajama top over her head with a snicker.

"He's a giant, egotistical prat, Ivy." Hermione said with as much dignity as she could muster. "Harry would have kicked him off the team, I was simply saving him the time and aggravation."

"This has nothing to do with Ron, at all, then?" Ivy ducked when a pillow came flying her way, ignoring Lavender and Pavarti's demands to know what they were on about when they walked in. "That's what I thought!"

Scowling, Hermione drew her curtains around the bed.

**~!~ **

"Half-blood Prince?" Ivy's black eyebrows rose when Harry asked her if she had ever heard that moniker. "How would I know, Harry? Sorry to disappoint you mate, but I'm a Pure-Blood. We don't associate with commoners, didn't you know?"

Ron and Hermione both chuckled at that, though Harry looked exasperated, obviously not finding Ivy's dose of sarcastic humor as amusing as he generally would have. "Ives, come on, I'm-"

"Look," Ivy took the book from him, ignoring his orders to mind the fragile binding, studying it. "I'm with Hermione on this one, this bloke was seriously dodgy. Have you even read this… thing all the way through?"

"No, I've-"

"You ought too, look at this one."

Harry took the book back, aware that Hermione was standing behind him trying to read over his shoulder as he stared down at the scribble Ivy had pointed out.

"I told you he was a shoddy character." Hermione said when she had read it, shaking her head.

"Or she." Ron chimed in helpfully.

Harry just read the spell, the opening line written in that cramped, miniscule print in the margin of the book was enough to send a jolt of unease down his spine.

'**To make them bleed…'**

**~!~**

"Harry, you don't have PROOF, that's the only thing wrong with your theory." Ivy said exasperatedly, wondering why she hadn't followed along with Ron and Hermione's new habit of not listening whenever Harry got to talking about Draco Malfoy being a Death Eater.

Frustration mounting rapidly, as it always seemed to do these days; Harry whirled around and stalked away from her. Why couldn't they see it? What else would Malfoy be on about? What kind of 'task' would Voldemort have given him? He was the only one who had made the connections and it was driving him mad.

"Oh no you don't Potter, you're not going to run away from me!" Ivy followed him, grabbing him by the sleeve of his robe and whirling him around, returning the glare he was giving her. Then she became aware that they were attracting attention, the entire courtyard seemed to be staring at them. "Come on." She muttered, not letting go as she guided him out into the grounds.

Harry waited until they were walking down the familiar path towards Hagrid's before speaking again, feeling some of his anger and frustration disappearing when she glanced up at him out of sympathetic eyes. He didn't really want sympathy, he wanted someone to believe him! "Why can't anyone just believe me?" He asked in a whisper.

"Harry, it's not that I don't believe you, but the thing is: you can't go around accusing Malfoy of being a Death Eater because you don't have concrete proof."

He growled, wondering how much more proof they needed! They had seen him hide his left arm from Madam Malkin! He had overheard Malfoy talking about Voldemort on the train. Malfoy had been skipping classes, what more proof was there?

As if reading his mind, Ivy shook her head. "Solid proof, Harry, that is the only way anyone else is going to believe." She looked like she wanted to say something else but finally sighed, stepping away from him. "I'm sorry, that's just how it is."

**~!~**

"Harry, enough… we'll talk about this later, when it isn't in class." Ivy whispered furiously, trying to pay attention to Professor Sprout. She was just as concerned as he was about Katie Bell but as they had no new leads –and she wasn't counting the Draco Malfoy theory he had just yet- she wasn't about to let him ruin her grades with his furious muttering.

Between them was a Snargaluff pod waiting to be squeezed and it seemed neither was all that eager to be touching it. They were supposed to reach down into the pot, into the stumpy thing, pull out a bean and give it a squeeze. The problem was, the roots got tetchy when you reached down and tried to take your arms off.

Hermione and Ron were right next to them, lost in their own little conversation, their own Snargaluff forgotten between them.

When they realized that Hermione was talking about Slughorn's upcoming Christmas party, and that Ron was getting jealous, they both shook their heads.

"Why don't you just take McLaggen and-"

Ivy rolled her eyes.

Harry eyeballed the stump, feeling the back of his neck burning at Hermione's quieter rely of: "Well, actually, I was thinking of asking you" and wondered just how that would work out if she and Ron got together.

Ivy was apparently thinking the same thing because when he managed to get a grip on the roots, she dived down with both hands into the stump. After a moment, she pulled back, clutching one of the pods with a disgusted yet triumphant look on her face. She chanced a glance at Ron and Hermione, both of them looking pink in the face but pleased with themselves.

Ivy and Harry exchanged looks.

**~!~**

"Bloody hell, she's lost her mind!" Ron panted, still holding his arms over his head as he looked about the common room, just in case Hermione and her flock of birds had chased him back here.

Ivy was guessing that Hermione had seen her 'date' for the Christmas party snogging Lavender Brown and wondered just how thick Ron truly was. "You're such a prat, Weasley." She said in the coldest tone she could muster, which was pretty chilly if the way Ron suddenly looked at her was any indication.

"Hey now, it's not like I was doing anything wrong, I was-" Ron faltered when Ivy pushed herself out of the armchair she had been staking out all night. He began backing away when she advanced on him, watching as she withdrew her wand. Giving it up as a lost battle, he fled for the stairs.

"Coward!"

**~!~**

"How's she doing?" Harry asked the following morning over breakfast, a breakfast neither Ron nor Hermione had shown up for.

Ivy shrugged, setting down the Daily Prophet she had been skimming through and reached for her goblet of orange juice, eyes narrowed. "She was up most of the night crying, and what really sucked was that bint Lavender running off at the mouth."

Harry winced, he hadn't given thought about Hermione and Lavender sharing a dorm. "But… they'll work it out, yeah?"

"Maybe. It is pretty messed up that he agreed to go out with her only to start snogging on that beastie not long after."

"Yeah, messed up." Harry echoed, knowing this was going to put a definite damp on the upcoming holiday mood.

**~!~**

"You can't just take anyone," Hermione said, leaning back against one of the numerous study tables in the library, staring at Harry intently. "See that girl over there?" She asked, gesturing subtly with her head to her right.

Harry followed her gaze, not so subtly to find a girl he recognized as a fifth year sitting with her back to the windows, staring down at a piece of parchment.

"That's Romilda Vane."

As if hearing her name, Romilda looked up and smiled slightly at him.

"Apparently she's trying to smuggle you a love potion."

Harry felt equal parts pleasure and paranoia. "Really?" He demanded, meeting Hermione's eyes briefly. Wasn't it her job to confiscate that sort of stuff? She was a prefect after all.

When Hermione realized his gaze had flickered back to Romilda, she rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers in his face, getting his attention again. "Hey! She's only interested in you because she thinks you're the Chosen One." She sounded thoroughly disgusted about it too.

"But I am the Chosen One."

Sighing in exasperation, Hermione smacked him over the head with a sheaf of parchment she had been carrying.

"Right, sorry."

"You had better find a date; and soon."

Right… the only question, Harry thought, was who did he want to take?


End file.
